Hello everyoneI picked up my wonderful cockatiel last Saturday so have almost had him a week. He seems to be getting along well and is keen to come out of the cage and sit on us. Seems to like a head scratch and especially seems to like my partner and my 7 year old daughter a lot. He will step up on them and sit for ages. Me however he is not as keen on. He seems scared of my hands and just flys away but will sit on my head and shoulder. Anything I can do to help him get over this? He is fully weaned . He also has only explored one half of his cage but when he hears/ sees us in the room he paces up and down chirping to come out! Very cute.Also - what age before they start getting noisy and vocal other tha. Just odd chirps?Thanks for help and advice

Hi, Jbab, and welcome to the forum. If I were you, I would not believe the 'it's fully weaned' unless the bird is more than 6 months old and would offer soft foods twice a day. Birds are like human babies in that, even when they are able to eat on their own, they still need special food and, sometimes, a bit of handfeeding. Besides, it's not as if soft food is going to hurt it in any way (my birds get soft food for breakfast and all day picking every day).

Cockatiels don't really need any taming. They are so sweet-tempered that even the parent-raised ones end up being tame if you just wait long enough. Just open his cage and quietly sit next to his cage without looking straight at him (staring is something that only predators do and you want to reassure it that you mean it no harm). Talk, whistle, sing and offer him a treat every now and then. Do NOT put your hands in his cage and do not move them fast or in a way that gets them closer to him. Once he is used to your presence, start putting your hand open and palm up with a seed on it and wait for him to come to it and, when he does, praise, praise, praise but don't move your hand until he moves away. Slowly but surely, he will lose his fear of your hands.

Parrot 'soft food' is simply any food that is soft and easily digestible (kind of what we would feed a toddler). Gloop is soft food that works both for young birds AND adults (this is what I feed my birds everyday) but you can use stuff like polenta, couscous, old-fashioned oatmeal or any other grain base to which you can add pureed and/or finely chopped veggies. When they are very young, polenta and oatmeal mixed with baby jar food (the pureed kind - like sweetpotatoes, squash, carrot, fruits, etc) work best because they are 'mushy' and, as soft food is served warm, both the temperature and the consistency reminds them of the kind of food the parents give them in their beak which is VERY comforting to them (anything that gives them comfort reduces the inevitable chronic stress of captivity). Gloop is a dish made out of cooked whole grains (like wheat, oat groats, barley, kamut, teff, etc), pulses (like lentils and white beans -only white, not colored) and chopped veggies (like broccoli, boiled or baked sweet potatoes, diced butternut squash, diced carrots) or the kind that is small on its own (like sweet corn, peas, hominy).

Jbab wrote:Thank you - he is fine with other hands - just not mine ! What sort of soft food and feeding do you suggest? Thanks

They chose who they want to bond to. You are the one who feeds and cleans him so you must be the servant. They do change when it comes to who's the buddy. Rainbow has moved me up and down his list of friends. For a good while I was his servant and that is all.

Happy to hear about your cockatiel. I'd let him hang out on your shoulder a bit and see what his favorite foods are. Maybe he had a bad experience once and hasn't gotten over it yet. Seven days too isn't that long so wouldn't be surprised if he changes. Also if you wear lotion on your hands would be interesting if you try changing just that over a week if he changes too. I had two I raised from the age when they were just weaned. The male I had was very audible and vocal which he developed within maybe a year. He learned the star wars tunes, whistling and a few words, and to ask for a chip. My female never really spoke or made songs other than an occasional chirp.

Other than when they scream to get your attention, Cockatiel voices are as soft and pretty as they are.

Your little Tiel was well cared for before you got it. It is not afraid of people. The older ones who come with baggage do need to be calmed and it takes them a while to realize they are now safe.

The fact that your Tiel will sit on your shoulder is very good. He may not like your hands but will tweeter to you face to face. My little rescues come from bad places and are very scared. I ignore them. I play with the fearless ones and the others watch and want to have fun too. My daughter gave me her two Tiels and the boy gives kisses. Others have been watching and Jackie has even touched my lips.

Make sure you parrot proof the room and just let it out to investigate you.